Joseph Mayfield
Known to the Garou as "The Lightbearer", Joseph Mayfield performed the Rite of the Winter Wolf following the closure of the caern at Perdition's Tear on February 8, 2010. He was 62 years old at the time, the brother of Alice and Harold. Joseph had served as the Elder of the Lodge of the Moon within House Austere Howl back in England before the schism. He'd had an early First Change at the age of 13 in 1961 and was an Athro by the time young Jonathan Constantine succeeded his father Byron in 1970. Joseph had been one of Jonathan's closest friends and had pressured his younger sister Alice to marry Jonathan. Upon becoming the King of Austere Howl, Jonathan promoted Joseph to Master of the Lodge of the Moon. Master of Lodge of the Moon Joseph Mayfield was a devoted theurge and avid ritualist. He was deeply obsessed with the mysteries of the Umbrood and spent much more time involved with Umbral matters than Garou affairs than perhaps was wise after Jonathan took the throne. When "Red Jack" first crossed his radar, he was curious and decided to privately investigate rather than warn Jonathan and the Court. This became a tragic mistake that led to Jonathan's death in 1994 and the schism within the House. Life in Exile When "Red Jack" and his cult brought the House crashing into ruin in 1994, Joseph held himself -and his brother Harold- accountable. He knew that Harold was among those who had originally summoned "Red Jack" and lost control of him. When Alice said that she wanted to take her children and other kinfolk and leave England, Joseph decided to go with her, feeling no interest in serving "the usurper" Michael Winston. He was also eager to get Harold away from William Tanaka and his Luciferian cult, who had taken "Red Jack" as a totemic spirit. Upon reaching Boulder Creek, Joseph immediately assumed control of the very small sept of mixed Children of Gaia/Uktena that had been dwelling there. They had no living elder of their own and surrendered easily to the despotic ways of House Austure Howl. Joseph & The Violation of the Caern It took the rest of 1994 and much of 1995 for Joseph to secure alliances and established a new network of spirit allies there at Perdition's Tear. The caern spirit, a manifestion of The Patchwork Wolf, was a very different temperment than Lion, who had been the guardian of the central house caern, Cambridge Court. Joseph was called the Sept Leader, but he devoted himself to the Umbrood and left the governance of the Garou to his nephew, Luke Constantine. Joseph had no love for Benedict Ambrosius or mages. However, he was glad that Benedict was there to offer a place in his Hermetic chantry for Harold and his step-daughter Megara. For the most part, he ignored the Namers, simply enforcing the traditional rule that no kinfolk, including Namers were to be allowed beyond the bawn of the caern. He was not prepared for Vivian Ryan to manipulate Rainier Sinclair into challenging Luke Constantine and tricking 19 year old Thomas Abbott into letting her pass beyond the bawn while everyone, including Joseph himself, was distracted by the bloody combat. It only took Vivian minutes to ravage the caern of much of its gnosis, crippling Patchwork Wolf and wreaking havoc on the local umbrascape. The first Garou to reach her were eviscerated. She escaped and Joseph had to use all of his resources to tend to the violated caern and its totem. Joseph & The Grail Quest The Graal, one of House Austere Howl's greatest relics, had been deliberately hidden during the era of King Aaron Emberstone and the Silver Crown. It was believed by the House lorekeepers to be the "true Graal" and left with fey allies in the Glastonbury era. Joseph believed it would be able to heal the caern and didn't think Queen Anne would succeed in her own efforts to stabalize the House in Britain. He dispatched Luke Constantine to try and secure it and bring it back to Perdition's Tear so it could be used to restore the caern and kept there. Joseph's Death The subsequent death of Luke and the rest of Falcon's Pride plunged Joseph inexorably into harrano. He managed to hold on for two years, long enough for Byron to have his first change, to keep an oath he'd promised Luke before he left for England. As soon as the five werewolves of Grail & Grove were gathered and he completed their rite of passage, Joseph closed the caern and passed into the spirit world himself.